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What's the Problem with fenders down while cruising?

pig

By pig
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bag 'o' bones Rising Star

bag 'o' bones

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The answer in fact is "to have fat enough ones that hold you away from the shelf".

 

I have never used 'submersible' fenders on either the Shroppie Shelf, or the shelf alongside some of the Trent Locks.

Wheel barrow wheels do the job nicely, you only need a couple.

All depends on which bit of the shroppie shelf your referring to. We used to be moored at betton wood farm line mooring just outside Market Drayton. The shelf was particularly wide. We found that barrow wheels were not wide enough so we used old car wheels instead. We now use extended fenders that drop below the shelf line. Work well and easy to fold away.

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pquinn Rising Star

pquinn

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PANAMA CANAL

Canal workers had expressed concern about whether the plastic fenders on the lock walls would be adequate and whether tugboat captains had received the proper training in how to guide the giant ships through the chambers — a procedure that differed from the one used in the original canal.

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/31/world/americas/panama-canal.html?_r=0

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bag 'o' bones Rising Star

bag 'o' bones

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More importantly, pumpout or cassette?

I think most people agree that the above is a very old an boring joke. In the interests in keeping the thread on track, further references to 'pump out or cassette' will be hidden.

Been meaning to ask this for a long time, what is the history of the Shroppie shelf.

Phil

Good question hopefully someone will be along shortly with the answer

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PaulG Experienced

PaulG

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I think most people agree that the above is a very old an boring joke. In the interests in keeping the thread on track, further references to 'pump out or cassette' will be hidden.

Then perhaps you could offer some guidance on:

A: The age of permitted jokes.

B. The level of general amusement that is required in order not to be boring.

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adam1uk Experienced

adam1uk

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I think most people agree that the above is a very old an boring joke. In the interests in keeping the thread on track, further references to 'pump out or cassette' will be hidden.

Good question hopefully someone will be along shortly with the answer

 

It might be a good questions, but the history of the Shroppie shelf is just as off topic as the pumpout/cassette thing, in a thread about travelling with fenders down.

Edited by bag 'o' bones
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dor Veteran II

dor

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Been meaning to ask this for a long time, what is the history of the Shroppie shelf.

Phil

As I understand it, when the concrete edging was put in, a longitudinal 'coffer dam' was built and this was filled to a greater or lesser degree with concrete to act as a footing. Shuttering was then added on top and the edge poured. As a result, when the 'coffer dam' material was removed there was a concrete ledge sticking out. It is not, as some people think, a single continuous ledge but can vary from next to nothing in width to about two feet. In some places it is close to the water level so can be seen (e.g. just south of Bridge 100). Neither does the shelf extend down to the bottom of the canal, but sticks out, literally, like a shelf of varying thickness.

 

Sinking fenders, e.g. Karting tyres, are often of limited use as they can sink below the ledge and even adjusting the length of rope they will often move sideways to move into a gap.

 

From my experience of over 20 years on the Shroppie, the best solution is: 1. Wheelbarrow wheels and tyres on a rope with a hook to go over the handrail. Thus you can move them along to fit in with the width of the shelf. 2: Rope fenders (lemonade bottle sized) again on handrail hooks, but with an adjustable length rope so their vertical position can be changed. In some places the shelf is too wide even for the wheelbarrow tyres, so unless you want to carry full-sized car wheels and tyres, you just move somewhere else. On my mooring, which is on the off-side of the shroppie, I use some very wide tyres (no wheels) and they sit over the wide points.

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tiller3 Gongoozler

tiller3

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It is also a canal WORLD forum and most of the arguments presented here for removing fenders in locks pertain to narrow locks in England.

If boaters are daft enough to leave side fenders deployed in narrow locks, then get stuck, I'm sure the queue of boats behind will be sympathetic.

 

If someone sinks your boat in a wide lock because they couldn't be bothered to pull them up, I'm sure you'll be sympathetic.

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Phil Ambrose Veteran II

Phil Ambrose

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It might be a good questions, but the history of the Shroppie shelf is just as off topic as the pumpout/cassette thing, in a thread about travelling with fenders down.

But there have been several references to fendering on the Shroppie shelf, to me it would seem an appropriate question and not off topic at all.

Phil

Edited by Phil Ambrose
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pquinn Rising Star

pquinn

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If boaters are daft enough to leave side fenders deployed in narrow locks, then get stuck, I'm sure the queue of boats behind will be sympathetic.

 

If someone sinks your boat in a wide lock because they couldn't be bothered to pull them up, I'm sure you'll be sympathetic.

Sorry man,not sure what your saying here but if a lock keeper in a rush makes s***e of my wide beam boat in a wide lock because i had no fenders down it would be my fault and i would get no sympathy and wouldnt expect any. My point is that not all canals,boats,locks,rules,methods ,situations or practices are the same all over the world. I know from experience what works for me on my boat in the many locks that i have passed through. On the other hand,if i was boating in England i would take all of the safety issues raised here about lifting fenders very seriously. As for aesthetics, i dont care a damn.

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Alan de Enfield Veteran II

Alan de Enfield

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Sorry man,not sure what your saying here but if a lock keeper in a rush makes s***e of my wide beam boat in a wide lock because i had no fenders down it would be my fault and i would get no sympathy and wouldnt expect any. My point is that not all canals,boats,locks,rules,methods ,situations or practices are the same all over the world. I know from experience what works for me on my boat in the many locks that i have passed through. On the other hand,if i was boating in England i would take all of the safety issues raised here about lifting fenders very seriously. As for aesthetics, i dont care a damn.

 

I think all of the locks that I use are wide enough for 4 narrowboats, and long enough for two full length NBs (apart from one - I am GRP with a 14 foot beam, and fitted 'with a little room to spare' with 'fat fenders' down on both sides).

 

My other boat is 23 foot beam (without fenders) and being GRP I do have fenders down in the locks - I don't tend to share locks with that one (except fore or aft)

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tiller3 Gongoozler

tiller3

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Sorry man,not sure what your saying here but if a lock keeper in a rush makes s***e of my wide beam boat in a wide lock because i had no fenders down it would be my fault and i would get no sympathy and wouldnt expect any. My point is that not all canals,boats,locks,rules,methods ,situations or practices are the same all over the world. I know from experience what works for me on my boat in the many locks that i have passed through. On the other hand,if i was boating in England i would take all of the safety issues raised here about lifting fenders very seriously. As for aesthetics, i dont care a damn.

If you'd read the whole thread you'd see I was pointing out the dangers with deployong SIDE fenders in narrow and wide locks on British canals. These dangers are real.

 

The thread title asks whether there are problems keeping fenders down while cruising. So yes, in certain situations there are problems with certain fenders.

 

Funnily enough, I do see the odd narrow boat not using fenders at the bow or stern. That also makes me cringe.

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